Current:Home > NewsTrump asks appeals court to stay gag order in D.C. 2020 election interference case -Profound Wealth Insights
Trump asks appeals court to stay gag order in D.C. 2020 election interference case
View
Date:2025-04-15 02:47:00
In a late-night court filing, former President Donald Trump's attorneys are asking the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to stay District Judge Tanya Chutkan's limited gag order in the D.C. 2020 election interference case brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith.
Chutkan's order, Trump's lawyers allege, is "muzzling President Trump's core political speech during an historic Presidential campaign."
His attorneys called Judge Chutkan's recently reinstated gag order move unprecedented, sweeping, and "viewpoint based."
The prosecutors and potential witnesses Chutkan has barred Trump from publicly targeting are high-level government officials, the filing argues and are thus connected to the campaign. Those officials, Trump contends, are unfairly shielded from criticism as a result of the order. Chutkan said in her order that Trump may not speak about prosecutors working on the case, court staff and potential witnesses.
The defense argues the gag order not only unconstitutionally restricts Trump's speech during a campaign, but affects the rights of his supporters to hear him.
"This right of listeners to receive President Trump's message has its 'fullest and most urgent application precisely to the conduct of campaigns for political office,' especially for the Presidency," Trump's attorneys argue.
Trump asked the court to make a decision by Nov. 10. That is just eight days away, and so far, it doesn't appear that a three-judge panel has been assigned to consider the case.
Specifically, the motion asks the appeals court to stay the gag order because of Trump's objections, to immediately and administratively pause the order while the longer stay is considered, and if those requests are rejected, his lawyers are asking for a writ of mandamus, an order from the appeals court to Chutkan to reverse her ruling on the stay.
The Justice Department opposes the requests and has consistently pushed the courts to keep the gag order in place.
Trump's motion — which was widely expected — follows Chutkans rejection of a similar request to stay the gag order. The judge temporarily put the ruling on hold as she considered the request, but ultimately decided that it should stay in place.
Smith's team originally asked the judge to restrict the former president's speech during pre-trial litigation, citing what prosecutors alleged were the potential dangers his language posed to the administration of justice and the integrity of the legal proceedings.
Chutkan only partially granted the government request, barring Trump from publicly targeting court staff, federal prosecutors by name, and potential witnesses in the case. The judge said at the time her order was not based on whether she liked the comments in question, but whether they could imperil the future trial. Trump, Chutkan said, was being treated like any other defendant.
Last month, prosecutors suggested that the judge link her limited gag order to the former president's conditions of release, effectively linking his pre-trial liberties with compliance with the court's ruling. Chutkan, however, did not agree and simply reinstated her gag order.
Thursday night's request comes less than 24 hours after Trump's defense team asked Chutkan to put the legal proceedings on hold as she considers the former president's assertions of presidential immunity. His attorneys have argued that the four count indictment against him — which include conspiracy to defraud the US — should be dismissed because the alleged actions were committed while Trump was president.
The former president has pleaded not guilty to all charges and denied wrongdoing.
veryGood! (4)
Related
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- Taraji P. Henson encourages Black creators to get louder: 'When we stay quiet, nothing changes'
- War in Gaza and settler violence are taking a toll on mental health in the West Bank
- In the N.C. Governor’s Race, the GOP Frontrunner Is a Climate Denier, and the Democrat Doesn’t Want to Talk About It
- US auto safety agency seeks information from Tesla on fatal Cybertruck crash and fire in Texas
- New frescoes found in ash of Pompeii 2,000 years after city wiped out by Mount Vesuvius eruption
- Why Kate Winslet Says Ozempic Craze “Sounds Terrible”
- EAGLEEYE COIN: Cryptocurrencies and the Future of Cross-Border Payments
- 'Most Whopper
- After a fender bender, this pup ran a mile to her doggy daycare to seek shelter
Ranking
- Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
- Landon Barker Shares He Has Tourette Syndrome
- Pop-Tarts asks Taylor Swift to release Chiefs treats recipe
- Want to eat more whole grains? You have a lot of options. Here's what to know.
- NCAA hands former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh a 4-year show cause order for recruiting violations
- Oregon lawmakers voted to recriminalize drugs. The bill’s future is now in the governor’s hands
- Death Valley's 'Lake Manly' is shrinking, will no longer take any boats, Park Service says
- New satellite will 'name and shame' large-scale polluters, by tracking methane gas emissions
Recommendation
Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
Tumble-mageddon: Tumbleweeds overwhelm Utah neighborhoods, roads
It's NFL franchise tag deadline day. What does it mean, top candidates and more
Taylor Swift is related to another tortured poet: See the family tree
Paris Olympics live updates: Quincy Hall wins 400m thriller; USA women's hoops in action
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' Kyle Richards’ Guide To Cozy Luxury Without Spending a Fortune
Luann de Lesseps and Mary-Kate Olsen's Ex Olivier Sarkozy Grab Lunch in NYC
What is debt? Get to know the common types of loans, credit